Chapter 6 – Hot tub

AN: As promised here's the hot tub chapter and I hope it's worth the wait! :) Still have to thank everyone who is reading, reviewing, faving and following (me or the story)! That's just so cool and much appreciated – you guys are the absolute best! Also, thank you, Mic, for continuing to be the best beta ever!

DISCLAIMER: I don't even own a hot tub much less Oliver Queen or CW's Arrow!


"Felicity, will you be ready to go in another hour or so?" It was Diggle who asked the question. It would be a much earlier night for them than usual but he thought they could all use the downtime.

"Yeah, I just need to rerun the codes and make a few more adjustments. I'll set the new reports to run on my tablet so we'll get those tonight. It certainly would be good to have time for the hot tub tonight!" Felicity responded with a smile as the guys returned to training.


The work required more effort and research than Felicity expected though so the Team spent several more hours at the lair. She had made a few more connections even if she wasn't quite willing to share the updates with the guys just yet. Now though she knew the plan to break-in to QC was absolutely essential for her to confirm her new leads – new leads which would hopefully take Isabel Rochev down and give control of QC back to Oliver.

Felicity took a moment to arch her back and felt her muscles ache in protest at her continued work and lack of sleep. As her stomach growled, Felicity realized they hadn't eaten yet either.

"Hey guys! I'm starving – I've done all I can. You ready to return to the hotel?" As she spoke Felicity pulled up the hotel security even though she hadn't received any reports of suspicious activities. As they had requested no cleaning service no one had been on their floor all day. There were no reports of rooftop activity either.

Both guys joined her, shirtless and sweaty from their training. Felicity couldn't help but shake her head at them even as she bit her tongue instead of asking if fighting was a better stress reliever than sex. When both looked at her suspiciously Felicity realized that while she hadn't spoken out loud she had laughed.

"I'm getting hysterical from lack of sleep and food. Let's go!" Felicity jumped up and both guys moved to put shirts on before they followed her out of the lair.

The drive was short and quiet – Diggle and Felicity were in the car and Oliver was on his bike. Without discussion they did open the comms line even though no one spoke. They quickly made their way into the hotel, stopped to order food at the concierge desk, and then took the elevator to their suite. The guys still did a quick check and Felicity again flopped down on the couch waiting for their all clear sign.

"We have time before the food – I'm gonna grab a shower." Diggle advised once he and Oliver returned to the living room. When Oliver turned to take his place at the balcony door Diggle gave a slight nod to Felicity who grimaced but nodded in return.

Despite being past the point of exhaustion, Felicity still stood up and started pacing. Oliver immediately turned back to watch in concern. This went on for a couple minutes and just as he opened his mouth to speak Felicity turned and spoke.

"I spoke with Thea today."

It was only one sentence but it wasn't anything that he had expected. Oliver frowned as he thought of the mess he had made by lying to Thea. However, he quickly smoothed out his expression when he saw Felicity nervously bite her lip.

"Okay." Oliver wasn't sure what else to say but just that word was enough to have Felicity speaking again.

"She went to Tommy's grave. I just couldn't let her do that alone. We talked – just talked, but I think you'll hear from her soon. She still needs to get past the anger and hurt but she loves you Oliver and she knows you love her." Felicity blurted out as much as she dared and hoped he wouldn't ask any questions. She wasn't sure what she would do if he asked questions, as she really, really didn't want to lie to him.

Oliver was again surprised not just by Felicity's revelations but because she seemed so nervous about telling him. Suddenly he remembered her fear when she told him about Thea previously and thought she may again be afraid that as the messenger she would be blamed, that he would leave her. He stepped forward and took both her hands into his as he smiled at her.

"Felicity, my family drama is not your fault. I know you are just trying to help me and I appreciate it."

Felicity breathed a sigh of relief but before she could speak Oliver continued.

"Do you remember when you told me about Thea? I told you then that you would always have me and that hasn't changed Felicity. We are partners." Oliver pulled her forward to hug her and couldn't help but notice how right, how good it felt. When he felt Felicity tremble slightly he tightened his hold and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Felicity allowed Oliver to pull her in for a hug and her words to Thea came back to her, 'You have to feel that love whenever he smiles at you, kisses your cheek, holds you tight.' As she wrapped her own arms around Oliver Felicity felt his love and her own and couldn't help the shiver that danced down her spine. We are partners and I just need to focus on that, Felicity thought as she tried to bury her feelings for Oliver once again even as she felt his lips against her skin.

The doorbell pulled them apart and Oliver quickly motioned Felicity to the side as he went toward the door. It was just their room service request and all proceeded normally so soon the pair were seated close together and eating in comfortable silence.

That was the scene that greeted Diggle as he came back in the room. "I hope you guys left something for me."

"Nope, nothing!" Felicity teased as she pushed his plate toward him and then gave him a drink, utensils, and napkins.

"I could get used to this – maybe we should just stay here after we defeat Slade." Felicity was tired, happily fed and comfortable with the guys and she blamed all those things for the fact that she had just suggested they should all live together.

"I mean the room service and we could get laundry services and then there's the hot tub that I still haven't tried. I think I'll do that now and then I'm going to bed. It really has been a rough week, month, I don't even know anymore…" Felicity quickly stacked her empty plates and focused on that task as she rambled. She knew she was blushing and she was just grateful the guys reverted to their previous practice of ignoring her rambles instead of teasing her. She then started to make her exit but Oliver stood up and grabbed her hand.

"It is nice being here, Felicity – I needed this." Oliver spoke gruffly and Felicity responded more to the emotion in his words than the words themselves as she smiled brightly at him.

Diggle stood up then and both Felicity and Oliver turned to him even as they still held hands. "Might as well make it a unanimous vote then – this is a pretty good set-up we have."

Felicity smiled at Diggle even as she squeezed Oliver's hand. "Thank you…both...I think I will still try out that hot tub now though."

Diggle watched her for a moment then turned to Oliver who was still watching the doorway she had gone through. He waited just a moment longer but when he realized Oliver wasn't going to move he spoke.

"Felicity told you about talking to Thea." Diggle wasn't asking but simply stated it as a fact.

Oliver heard his friend's voice and turned to him even as he tried to shake the images of Felicity in the hot tub that had suddenly flooded his brain. He and Felicity had a special partnership…he had always known they were more than just friends in their own way just as he had always known she was a beautiful woman, but these last two days seemed to have blurred the lines even further. He couldn't afford to be distracted now and couldn't afford to risk her to fulfill his own desires, but it was getting harder to convince himself of that lately. Giving himself another mental shake he forced his focus to Diggle and processed his words.

"Yes, she said she thought Thea would be in contact soon." Oliver still felt slightly dazed as images of Felicity continued to cloud his vision. It wasn't just his imagined idea of her in the hot tub but real images, real memories. Felicity's expression when she questioned his 'coffee shop in a bad neighborhood story', her voice pleading with him to come back even though he couldn't make that promise when he went after Cyrus Gold, her arms holding herself as she interrupted the Team and ordered him to rescue Thea, get Slade and end it. She truly was his partner but he couldn't help but wonder, hope that maybe they could truly be partners…assuming they all survived the next few days. It was that fear for her safety that brought Oliver fully back to the present and to his friend staring at him speculatively.

"Eventually you two will need to talk." Diggle had told himself he wouldn't interfere until after they had defeated Slade but he could still hear Felicity telling her story to Thea and now he knew they really were all she had. He was surprised by how quickly Oliver nodded his agreement.

"First, we defeat Slade…then we'll talk." Oliver spoke to Diggle but his eyes had returned to the empty doorway once again. "Slade first." He repeated more sternly as he turned back to Diggle.

"We need to discuss how the QC break-in is going to work." Diggle found his seat again and leaned back to rest as they talked.

Oliver didn't sit but instead moved back to stand by the balcony doors as he replied. "If we can disable the Mirakuru production I would consider that a victory. I don't understand what she plans for the computer but any intel on Isabel would be helpful."

"We can make it look like a regular burglary – corporate espionage. That would support Felicity's plan for Isabel to look bad and conceal the other purposes." Diggle offered as he thought through possible scenarios.

"You mean the Arrow doesn't go but masked men instead? A little vandalism, that kind of the thing?" Curious now, Oliver turned to Diggle and caught the other man's nod.

"Yeah, Felicity will have to go with us, Oliver, but we can protect her. She is really the only one that needs to be there but we can conceal her real purpose. It would make sense that anyone wanting QC secrets would access the servers so that gives her the perfect excuse. We can grab the serum samples under the same guise, maybe even destroy some equipment." Diggle was still working through the idea and Oliver quickly added his thoughts.

"That would work but what about overriding security? We can't use our actual access as that would give us away." Oliver finally sat back down on the couch as he and Diggle continued their discussion and created a plan of attack they could both agree on.

"What about Sara?" Diggle hesitated but knew the question had to be asked.

"She wants in on the action." Oliver still wasn't ready to talk about Sara. It already felt like she was just part of his past and he didn't like talking about the past. He wanted to move forward and those thoughts of the future again brought his eyes to the doorway that Felicity had gone through. He suddenly realized it had been an hour and he wasn't sure if she was okay.

Oliver stood up and moved quickly to the doorway before Diggle's words gave him pause.

"What exactly do you think you are going to do Oliver if she is still in the hot tub?" There was no accusation or warning in Diggle's tone, just the question.

"It's been an hour she should be out, in bed, resting." Oliver knew he had no legitimate reason to check on her. The floor was secure, Felicity's monitors on the table proved that but he couldn't shake the need to confirm that she was okay.

"I'll be back in a minute." Oliver growled as he again headed toward Felicity. He still wasn't sure what he intended to do but he knew he had to see her.

Felicity hadn't closed the bathroom door so he could see her sleeping form still in the hot tub as soon as he entered the room. Her hair was in a messy bun with loose strands curling damply around her slightly flushed and damp face. She was using a towel as a pillow and seemed to be resting peacefully. He could see the steam still swirling around and knew she needed to get out of the hot tub though. Oliver took a few steps further into the bathroom but froze in his tracks when he realized there were no straps along her shoulders. Oliver remained still, unable to think clearly.

Gritting his teeth against the temptation of her naked body, Oliver softly closed the door and then dropped into a low crouch and moved forward. If he kept his face at Felicity's level he wouldn't embarrass her and he hopefully wouldn't embarrass himself. He paused as he reached her and couldn't help but smile at the sleeping blond.

"Felicity, wake up." Oliver spoke softly so as not to startle her. He couldn't resist a light caress along her face before he captured her chin in his hand. His thumb moved along her skin even as he tried not to focus on her mouth.

"Felicity, you need to wake up. You need to get out of the hot tub." Oliver spoke more gruffly than he intended but his own blood was heating up and he wasn't the one in the steaming water.

Felicity did stir slightly now and dipped her head to nuzzle his hand which he opened for her. "Oliver." For the second time in as many nights Oliver heard his name in Felicity's sleepy voice and it gave him chills.

"Oliver."

As Felicity repeated his name, still in a throaty voice, Oliver tensed and brought his eyes to hers. He was half convinced he would find her eyes open, that she would be aware of his struggle, of his desire but her eyes were still closed. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or angry.

"Wake up Felicity." Oliver injected more authority in his voice but he didn't remove the hand still gently caressing her face.

"OLIVER!" Felicity jerked fully away and reared back from him.

Oliver kept his eyes on the panic in hers but he still caught a glimpse of wet skin and full breasts before she gasped and dropped back down. Now only her eyes were visible over the rim of the hot tub as she hunched over to hide from him. However as there was fire shooting out of her eyes, Oliver thought it best not to laugh at her position.

"What are you doing in here?" Felicity demanded more in embarrassment than anger. She clamped her mouth shut after that one sentence as she was determined not to ramble about picturing him waking her up in totally different circumstances that were far from platonic. Felicity shut her eyes as her mind easily produced familiar images of a shirtless Oliver waking her up, even one with them in a hot tub. As desire washed through her body, Felicity groaned.

"Are you okay?" Oliver expected the embarrassment but not the groan which sounded more like she was in pain.

"Clearly I'm not okay as I'm naked in here and you are out there fully clothed – that didn't come out right. You shouldn't be here at all—" Felicity closed her eyes briefly but the mental images were still strong so she snapped them back open and tried to look anywhere but at him.

"Should I get Diggle?" Oliver teased. She was already flushed from the hot tub and now her embarrassment but that groan had told him those weren't her only feelings. He couldn't help it that the thought of Felicity wanting him made him happy. Felicity gasped as she met his eyes.

"Oh…funny! No, I don't want Diggle. I can't believe we are still talking about this! Shouldn't you have left already so I can get dressed and we can go to bed….seriously I am stopping now and you need to get out. Don't you still need to shower? You were all sweaty before…3…2…1…"

Felicity dropped her head to the towel she had been using as a headrest. Breathe, just breathe…maybe this is all just a dream. When Felicity heard Oliver chuckle she realized she still hadn't mastered the art of not speaking her every thought out loud. She raised her head to find he had moved even closer and his face was just mere inches from hers now.

"I'll leave and shower. You can get out and go to bed." Oliver spoke softly and had to lock his muscles in place so he didn't close the distance between them. When he saw Felicity's eyes drop to his mouth he couldn't suppress a low groan of his own. He didn't jerk away or stand up though as he knew he would be lost if he saw anything more than he already had.

"Get to bed Felicity." His voice a definite growl now Oliver turned and stood up with his back to Felicity. He quickly made his escape but did remember to close the door behind him.

Did he really groan? That was the only thought in Felicity's head as she replayed the conversation. She had gotten distracted with thoughts of kissing Oliver and she knew she had been looking at his lips when he groaned. He's with Sara, Felicity, off limits…remember that you do not want to be the other woman.

Felicity focused on that and forced herself to ignore her own feelings and whatever his groan may have meant. She quickly dressed for bed and despite all everything going on right now she fell asleep quickly.

Oliver strode past Diggle and advised as he continued on his path, "She had fallen asleep. She's going to bed now. I'm going to shower."

Diggle just smirked and thought to himself, Betting it's a cold shower.


AN2 – Now that that's done I promise we will get some action (not Olicity action, guys) but real action and make some progress on those pesky issues like Slade, Roy, Isabel, etc! :) Tomorrow's edition is will be posted in 2 chapters as the QC break-in is a massive undertaking! Hope you guys come back for that part!